Phoenix13: Redemption (Phoenix13 Book 2)

Part #11: The Truth's Girl: Chapter Four

Chapter Four

"The cabin's just beyond those trees." Juna fell into step beside Kalligan. She pointed to a thick copse of short, bushy pines blocking the trail ahead. The young Àmandinian's cheeks were red with cold. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Are you ready to meet her?"

Kalligan exchanged a glance with Nikki. "I guess," he said. "I mean, as long as she knows where the Nythriam is, everything should be okay. Right?"

Juna nodded enthusiastically. Bounding ahead, she called back to them over her shoulder, "Right! Now c'mon, slow-pokes. We're not getting any younger!"

"Well you just reverted to an over-grown child, so..." Nikki muttered.

Kalligan laughed despite himself. "I know she's a bit crazy, Nikki. But you've gotta admit, she's really nice, right? And she knows a lot more about this place than we do. Besides, she's my little sister. She's gonna be annoying sometimes."

Nikki looked up at him. She looked torn between amusement and concern. "I know, it's just... she just turned up out of nowhere. Not that that's a bad thing! I'm really glad you have your sister back, Kal, I really, really am. But isn't it a bit... I dunno..." She ducked her head, looking down at her feet. "Odd?"

"What, that she happened to be in the right place at the right time? We've got the same blood, Nikki. She was probably drawn to me by some mysterious, unexplainable mystical force. Or something." Kalligan shrugged. "Anyway, aren't you glad she's here? There's no way I woulda been able to find this place without her."

Nikki sighed. She opened her mouth, but before she could reply, Juna's raised voice cut her off.

"Found it!" Juna waved at them from about twenty meters up the trail. "The cabin's right where I remembered," she said, pointing over her shoulder, "and Roxanne's put in new entry lights and everything. Come see!"

Taking a deep breath, Kalligan finished the walk to the pine copse. Just beyond it, an old log cabin came into sight. The cabin was small—about seventy-by-fifty feet—and had a warm, comforting feeling about it. The scent of spices and baked apples rose from the chimney. A string of multi-colored LED lights hung from the awnings over the door. The only thing that suggested the house had been lived in during the twenty-third century was a small rectangular panel displaying the glowing blue outline of a digital handprint scanner.

"Should I knock?" Juna stood by the door. Her hand was raised in a fist, poised inches from the solid wooden surface.

Kalligan looked at Nikki, then back at Juna. He shrugged. "I dunno. I guess?"

Juna brought her fist down three times in rapid succession. "Hello? We're here to talk with Roxanne the Hermit! Is she home?"

"Yes, yes," a woman's raspy voice replied from inside. The tone was as sharp as an obsidian spear point. "Stand back."

Kalligan jumped and almost fell into a snowdrift as the door flew open. Nikki grabbed his hand and let out a small squeal of surprise.

"Well, well." An aged woman with frizzy white hair and dark wrinkled skin like oak bark stood in the doorway. She was dressed in a hoodless parka and sealskin trousers. In her hands was a pre-War-era Desert Eagle handgun, cocked and pointed at Kalligan's chest. The woman's dark eyes flashed a warning as she stepped outside her door. She looked from Juna to Nikki, and then to Kalligan. Her eyes narrowed. The corners of her mouth turned down. "I knew you'd show up eventually," she said. "I've been waiting for you. Are you the bounty hunter, then? Well? Are you?"

Kalligan slowly put up his hands. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nikki begin to shake. "Listen," he said, careful not to raise his voice too much, "Roxanne, right? Roxanne, I'm not a bounty hunter. I'm Kalligan Caelum. I'm an electro-smith's apprentice from Nathandra."